Pune is growing. But the bigger question is: in which direction should Pune grow, and is infrastructure keeping pace with that growth?
When buying a home, plot or investing in real estate, connectivity is one of the biggest questions. Will the existing roads be enough? Will a new road, metro, ring road or major development come to the area? And will the infrastructure actually be ready when the population and development arrive?
In this SaudaGhar video, we look at the difference between development and infrastructure development and why reactive infrastructure planning can create long-term problems.
Pune already has Development Plans with proposed roads, reservations, commercial zones, residential zones, hospitals, educational facilities, open spaces and other planned land uses. But the bigger challenge is translating this planning from the map to the ground.
When residential projects, IT parks and manufacturing hubs develop first, and road widening, bridges, metro corridors and ring roads are planned or executed later, land acquisition, rehabilitation, compensation, legal issues and negotiations can make infrastructure development much more difficult.
The video also discusses how areas such as Kharadi, Keshav Nagar, Wadgaon Sheri, Mundhwa, Wagholi and other growth corridors have experienced rapid development, and why future growth corridors need better coordination between land-use planning, road networks, public transport, commercial development, industrial development and residential development.
A long-term regional planning approach could mean identifying future road corridors, transport networks, green spaces, commercial and industrial zones and residential areas well in advance, while also communicating these plans clearly to landowners and local communities.
The objective is not to stop development. The question is whether development and infrastructure can be planned together, so that future residents have better connectivity, shorter commute times and more functional urban infrastructure.
Pune has a strong talent pool, education ecosystem, IT sector and manufacturing base. The city is already growing. The bigger question is how this growth will be organised over the next 20 years.
Should Pune focus more on proactive regional planning instead of reacting after development has already happened?